Our Board & Committees
RHI's Board of Directors and Program Committee Members represents the breadth and diversity of the international SCI community, each committed to helping improve the quality of life for individuals with SCI.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors provides strategic guidance that helps RHI work towards its vision and mission.
| Ian Rigby (Chair) Emergency Physician, University of Alberta |
| Ben Almond (Vice Chair) Regional Director, Canada, Jacobs |
| Shari Hughson (Vice Chair) Director, Master of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Smith School of Business, Queens University |
| Ross Mason (Secretary) Executive Director and Founder, Healthcare Institute for National Renewal and Innovation |
| Jeff Charpentier (Treasurer) CFO for Proactive Immune Sciences Corporation and former CFO of viDA Therapeutics Inc., Lifebank Corp., Inex Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Chromos Melcular systems Inc., and Lignol Energy Corporation |
| Maria Barrados Executive in Residence at Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Partner, Barrados Consulting, Inc. |
| Michael Beattie Professor of Neurological Surgery; Co-Director, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, University of California, San Francisco |
| Dean Bergeron Vice-President, Administration and Customer Relations, Group Insurance, La Capitale Financial Security |
| Doug Brown Associate Professor; Executive Director, Spinal Research Institute |
| Kristine Cowley Assistant Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology, Spinal Cord Research Centre |
| Christine Sang Director, Translational Pain Research, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School |
| Jerome So Investment Advisor, Certified Retirement Specialist, TD Waterhouse |
| Nava Swersky Sofer Director, International Speaker, Innovation & Commercialization Expert |
Cure Committee
The Cure Committee provides ongoing strategic advice in cure-related activities and recommendations on future activities regarding RHI's Cure Program.
| Brian Kwon (Chair) Associate Professor, Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia |
| Steven Casha Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurosciences (Surgery), University of Calgary |
| Michael Fehlings Professor, Neurosurgery, University of Toronto |
| James Guest Clinical Professor, Neurological Surgery and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Miller School of Medicine |
| Susan Harkema Rehabilitation Research Director, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center |
| Wolfram Tetzlaff Director, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) |
| Mark Tuszynski Professor, Neurosciences, University of California San Diego |
| Scott Whittemore Scientific Director, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center |
Care Committee
The Care Committee provides ongoing strategic advice in care-related activities and recommendations on future activities regarding RHI's Care Program.
| Cathy Craven (Chair) Physiatrist, Medical Lead, Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network |
| Mark Bayley Medical Director, Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network Associate Professor, Division of Physiatry, University of Toronto |
| Lise Bélanger Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital |
| Daniel Bourbonnais Professor, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation (CRIR) du Montréal-Métropolitain, Site Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal |
| Sean Christie Associate Professor, Research Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University Vice Chair and Director of Research Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University |
| Teren Clarke Chief Executive Director, Spinal Cord Injury Alberta |
| Janice Eng Associate Dean, Funding, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of British Columbia Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia |
| Chester Ho Professor and Division Director, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta |
| Brian Kwon Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia Spine Surgeon, Vancouver Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital |
| Eldon Loh Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Western University |
| Sonja McVeigh Associate Professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Dalhousie University |
| James Milligan Director, Research Institute for Aging, Mobility and Falls, Centre for Family Medicine Mobility Clinic Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University |
| Colleen M. O'Connell Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University |
| John Shepherd PhD Candidate (Rehabilitation Science), University of Toronto |
| Blayne Welk Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Urology, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario |
| Dalton Wolfe Assistant Professor, School of Health Studies, Western University |
Commercialization Committee
The Commercialization Committee guides the strategic direction of RHI's Commercialization Program. Its mandate is to advise RHI on how it can best leverage its strength, while ensuring alignment with the Cure, Care and Consumer Programs.
Committee list in progress
Consumer Committee
The Consumer committee provides a representative voice for SCI consumers and their supporters in the Blusson Integrated Cures Partnership, as well as activities in the Consumer Program strategy.
| Keiko Honda (Chair) Consumer; Public Health Research Scientist |
| Peter Athanasopoulos Consumer; Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario |
| Mary-Jo Fetterly Consumer |
| Chris McBride Executive Director, Spinal Cord Injury BC |
| Ian Rigby Consumer; Emergency Room Physician, Foothills Medical Centre |
| Barb Schober Consumer |
Program Leadership Committee
This committee provides recommendations to the Board of Directors that aligns the development of RHI's four programs to its vision and mission.
| Katharina Kovacs Burns (Chair) |
| Gary Birch |
| Kristine Cowley |
| Cathy Craven |
| Keiko Honda |
| Brian Kwon |
| Ross Mason |
Canadian SCI Pressure Ulcer Strategy Working Committee
| Pamela Houghton, PhD – Chair Professor, School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario |
| Chester Ho, MD – Chair Associate Professor and Head, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre |
| John Cobb, BScOT Occupational Therapist II, Vancouver General Hospital Acute Spine Program |
| Keith Hayes, PhD Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Western Ontario |
| Vanessa Noonan, MSc PhD PT Director of Research & Best Practice Implementation, Rick Hansen Institute |
| Heather Orsted, MSc RN BN ET Principal, eQuadra Solutions Inc. |
| Shannon Sproule, BScPT Physical Therapist, GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre |
| Michael Stacey, MD Professor and Surgeon in Chief, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, McMaster University |
| Dalton Wolfe, PhD Research Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute |
| All committee members were asked to disclose to RHI and ONF any conflicts of interest that may potentially influence their recommendations on the Canadian SCI Pressure Ulcer Agenda. |
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